Balestier Khalsa vs Home United

(June 20, Friday, 7.30pm, Jalan Besar Stadium)

Written by: Muhammad Yazid

The Tigers visit the Jalan Besar stadium to take on the Protectors in tonight’s televised match.

Home United currently sit at fourth place with 30 points, one point behind Warriors FC and Tampines Rovers.

Anything less than a win would be too costly, as they might possibly drop to fifth or sixth place, considering the fact that the top half of the table is very confined with teams being very close to each other.

Currently it is five points separating the Protectors and league leaders Brunei DPMM, and they would be keen in closing the gap.

As for Balestier Khalsa, they are at seventh place, eight points behind their closest competitors, Hougang United.

It is high time the Tigers start winning to edge closer to the top half of the table.

It will be interesting to see how Balestier can hope to stifle Home’s lethal forwards, with the likes of Fazrul Nawaz and Bruno Castanheira fronting latter’s lineup.

With captain Paul Cunningham still out, Emir Lotinac will be tasked with the responsibility of leading the Balestier defence, and he will have a tough time with those aforementioned players.

It will also be a battle in the middle of the park, with Park Kang Jin up against his South Korean compatriot Lee Kwan Woo. Both are midfield maestros of their respective sides, and whoever comes up with the goods tonight will most probably see their team come out on top.

The last time Home played the Tigers, they had a tough time and only managed to just eke out a 2-1 victory. This should be the same case again, as both teams are fighting for their respective targets.

Home are looking for maximum points to keep them in the hunt for the title, while Balestier have only five more games to ensure they finish in the top-six group of the league.

Key Men To Watch

Balestier Khalsa: Park Kang Jin

Probably the most talked-about footballer in the S.League for the past week after his expression of interest in changing nationality to represent Singapore, Park would have all eyes set on him for his next game against Home United.

The South Korean made a superb comeback from injury by leading his team to several victories. According to InStat, 67% of his dribbles were successful while he won 56% of challenges in the game against Albirex Niigata (S)

Home United: Sirina Camara

The left-back not only fulfills his defensive duties, but also involves himself in attacks as he torments opposing defenders on the left.

In the 3-1 win over Harimau Muda, all of Camara’s dribbles were successful as he managed to get past every player he intended to. His passes were off no different, as 88% of them were accurate.

Balestier Khalsa – DDWWL

12/6/14    Warriors FC 1-1 Balestier Khalsa

8/6/14        Balestier Khalsa 1-1 Albirex Niigata (S)

4/6/14        Tanjong Pagar United 0-3 Balestier Khalsa

27/5/14    Warriors FC 1-3 Balestier Khalsa (RHB Singapore Cup)

21/5/14    Balestier Khalsa 1-2 Woodlands Wellington

Home United – LWWWW

13/6/14    Hougang United 3-1 Home United

10/6/14    Home United 3-1 Harimau Muda

6/6/14        Brunei DPMM 2-3 Home United

30/5/14    Home United 5-0 Nagacorp FC (RHB Singapore Cup)

22/5/14    Geylang International 1-4 Home United

Head to Head (S.League)

5/4/14        Home United 2-1 Balestier Khalsa

25/10/13    Balestier Khalsa 0-1 Home United

17/7/13    Home United 1-2 Balestier Khalsa

4/4/13        Balestier Khalsa 0-4 Home United

17/6/12     Balestier Khalsa 1-0 Home United

10/2/12    Home United 0-0 Balestier Khalsa

2/8/11        Balestier Khalsa 0-4 Home United

4/5/11        Home United 5-2 Balestier Khalsa

15/2/11    Balestier Khalsa 1-1 Home United